Commercial dog walkers may face restrictions when it comes to unleashing large packs of canines to run and play in Capital Regional District parks. View Royal Mayor David Screech says he's received complaints from users of Thetis Lake Park who say they've seen as many as 10 dogs running free at once:
" At what point are you really not in control of that many dogs? Is it reasonable for one person to have 10 dogs off leash in our parks?"
Screech says a parks bylaw requires owners to have their pet under control at all times, but that's a problem with large packs of dogs. Screech adds no other business would be allowed to operate in a park without a permit, and it's time to get a handle on things:
" You know they are very much a new phenomena, these doggie daycares, these professional dog walkers. So I mean, if we're doing due diligence and good process we need to look at it and say, hey, is this working or do we need to tweak something?"
CRD staff have been asked to look into the matter and report back on what should be allowed, and what restrictions might be put in place.